The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-01-25
THE CAPITAL.

Now that easy going, sleepy
sntiqusted Jefferson City perched
like Rome on her seven hills and
nursing TO her bosom the relics oil
past ages and dead centuries, has
been forced to acknowledge the alb
solute need of new capital, GER
tainly the live energetic statesman
from all over the most progressive
state on the North American con-
tinent can no longer shut their eyes
to the fact of that need. In
realizing it, however, it is to be
hoped that they will take into con-
sideration the full scope of that need
in all its magnitude and Importance,
which, if they do, will embrace con-
venience of location, sanitary re-
quirements, accessibility of ingress and
egress, and facilities for the speedy
and cheap collection of such infor-
nation and commodities as are requisite
to the transaction of state affairs.
Seventy years ago the requirements
of such an institution were quite
different from what they now are,
La those days of semi - barbarism and
savage occupancy river transit was
the safest and most speedy. No rail-
roads or telegraphs existed or were
dreamed of. The chances for the
anihilation of civilization by bar.
barism and wild beasts was about
equal with those of its maintenance.
Speedy access and egress from as
capital were not so much a dis
ideratum as safety of ingres, segress,
and occupancy. Under these cir
cumstances no better location than
the broken, easily fortified hills of
Jefferson, situated upon the great
water artery of the continent, was
wise and desirable, but with time
came changes that have wrought such
o revolution as makes the present
capital site quite as undesirable and
antiquiated as is the building which
occupies it. Greater and better
facilities are demanded, and they
are of class that can never be sup
piled amid the frowning precipices
and arid and rocky retreats that
surround the present site as an in
vulnerable bulwark to railroads and
all other traffic arteries. Economy
is another great consideration but it
applies with equal force to the OBJ
jections already advanced as well as
to the immediate cash outlay that
VIII be demanded. 1t is certainly a |
false economy that would by bad
location subject the state, the people,
and the Legislators for the next
century to come, to double the ex-
pense is necessary where it
can by proper attention to
location be prevented. As to actual
outlay there are few who do not
admit that the demands, of the times
necessitate at least a million should
be expended for a capitol building.
Jefferson City claims the expenditure
of half that amount can patch up the
old rookery good enough to do awhile.
This may be passible, but why shonid
such temporary resort be made and
continue the present Inconvenience
when the expenditure of the same
amount by the state can secure an
entirely new building in a location
that meets every other demand of the
times. Sedalia has offered to sup
ply the other half million to construct
the new edifice and the state will
have as a reduction on their half mil
lion all they can get for the old
struc turer If economy is to be con-
sidered at all there can be no ques-
ton as TO where it is best afforded /
1t is then to be hoped that the pre-